Page 25 of Tyrant (The Villetti Chronicles)

“Va’ a farti fottere.”

“Fuck myself, huh? Not very charitable of you when I’m doing you a favour.”

“Shut up, Zayn, you’re as bad as him.”

I wanted to tell him I was a better man than our father would ever be despite the fucked up shit I’d done, but I refrained. We could have words when our father wasn’t around. Enzo needed to sort his shit out. He was a twenty-four-year-old grown fucking man. It was time he acted like a Villetti instead of being a waste of space. I might not like being beholden to this damn family, but I wasn’t out here giving us a bad name.

“Go see Liza. Tell her you’ll be working on the door. I’m not having you on the club floor if I can help it. I don’t trust you to leave the girls alone.”

Enzo gave me a smile

“Me? I’ll be good as gold.”

“Don’t make me flick your ear again.”

I straightened. He shot me a dirty look before getting up and stalking from the room. I turned to our father, who was watching me with a blank expression.

“Anything else?”

He rose from his chair.

“Yes. It’s time for you to become a real part of this family, Zayn. You are my heir, whether you like it or not.”

My fist clenched at my side. This day was always going to come around. The one when my father wouldn’t tolerate me being out here doing my own thing any longer.

“What would you have me do?”

He gave me a smile. It chilled me to my damn bones.

“I want you to find a wife.”

I uncurled my fist and flexed my tattooed hand, wanting to wrap it around his throat and strangle the fucking life out of the man.

“A wife? Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Respectable men have good women by their sides. That is our way, Zayn. You are thirty-four years old. It is past time.”

Oh, because you’re such a fucking respectable man after what you did to our mother.

My father was a piece of shit, but he was family. A fact I hated. There were some days I wished I hadn’t been born to take over his empire. I had no interest in being the next Don Villetti or whatever the fuck he liked to call himself.

My eyes went to Gil, who was watching us with a frown. He clearly hadn’t been told about this beforehand.

“That’s all you want? For me to get married?”

“No, that is not all.”

“Next you’re going to tell me you’ve chosen a woman for me,” I muttered under my breath as I strode back towards my desk and threw myself into my chair.

“I have some women I wish for you to meet.”

Here we go.

“I don’t need help in choosing a wife, Father. I’m perfectly capable of finding a suitable woman if I was so inclined. I don’t wish to get married.”

And certainly not on his fucking timeline. I didn’t have time for a girlfriend, let alone a wife. Not when I had Ari to look after. Whatever woman my father wanted to set me up with would not approve of my arrangement with my little pet.

“This is not up for debate.”

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